ACCOUNT OF GENUS SEDUM AS FOUND IN CULTIVATION. 41 



Flowers June. Hardy. 



Habitat. — Himalayan region ; Yunnan. 



This species has been in cultivation for some years, as at Kew, 

 Edinburgh, Glasnevin, and Bees nursery at Chester, but it seems 

 to be not a good doer in cultivation (though a very robust plant in 



Fig. II. — 5. rotundatum. Male flower, x 5. 



the wild state), and it was only when this paper was at press that I 

 at last saw flowers (at Edinburgh). The plants in cultivation were 

 derived from seed collected by F. Kingdon Ward (No. 764), G. Cave 

 (No. 1456), and G. Forrest (no number). 

 Named from its round leaves. 



6. Sedum elongatum Wallich (fig. 12). 



S. elongatum Wallich Catalogue, No. 7233, 1828. Hooker fil. 

 and Thomson in Journ. Linn. Soc, BoL, 2, 98, 1858. Clarke 

 in Hooker, " Flor. Brit. India," 2, 419. 



A peculiar Rhodiola, which in its tall growth and broad leaves 

 recalls S. Tehphium and its allies ; but it is at once distinguished 

 from these by its characteristic Rhodiola rhizome, its stems produced 

 from the axils of broad scales, its globular buds, and its dioecious 

 black-purple flowers with very conspicuous scales forming a cup 

 round the carpels. Its broad leaves and large scales will identify 

 it from among the other Rhodiolas found in cultivation. 



Description. — A glabrous herbaceous perennial. Rootstock very fleshy, 

 branched, growing points furnished with scales. Stems annual, arising from 

 the axils of the older scales, erect, simple, leafy, round, smooth, i-ij foot high. 

 Leaves alternate, sessile or very shortly stalked, obovate or elliptic, about 2 inches 

 long by I to I inch broad, often largest near the top of the stem, becoming minute at 

 the base, more or less toothed, very smooth, green with a pale midrib, pale below. 

 Inflorescence terminal, large, loose, leafy, its branches rather long, slightly 

 pubescent. Buds globular, purple mottled with green. Flowers dark reddish- 

 purple, nearly ^ inch across, on slender pedicels longer than the flowers. Male 

 FLOWER : — sepals narrow, tapering, rather acute, purple ; petals obovate-oblong, 

 blunt, spoon-shaped at apex, dark purple, wide-spreading, ij times the sepals; 

 stamens purple, slightly shorter than the petals ; scales very broad, contiguous, 

 emarginate, forming a deep purple shining cup round the carpels ; carpels short, 

 lightly exceeding the scales, erect, dull purple. 



